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My Chinese Prawns Recipe is a tender prawns stir fry smothered in a homemade sweet and spicy chili sauce! This is an easy prawn dish you will love on a busy weeknight. It takes just 15 minutes to make from start to finish!
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Prawn Recipes
If you're craving your favorite takeout without the delivery wait, my easy Chinese prawns recipe is the simple solution.
The prawns cook in seconds, and the sweet homemade chili sauce is bold but easy, making this a perfect recipe for busy weeknights and last-minute dinners without sacrificing any flavor.
Prawn Recipe Ingredients & Substitutes
- Frozen prawns: This is one of my favorite frozen prawns recipes. It's so easy to make and the taste is just fantastic. You can also use frozen shrimp, but keep an eye on them as they may cook more quickly than prawns.
- Flour: I'm using all-purpose flour, but because the flour is for thickening the sauce, you can also use gluten-free flour or cornstarch if desired.
- Seasoning: The seasoning for this prawns recipe includes paprika, sesame seeds, and red chili pepper. This gives it a nice balance of savory, spicy, and sweet when combined with the sweet chili sauce.
- Green Onions: Sliced thinly for sprinkling on top.
Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sesame Oil: Adds a bit of sesame flavor to the sauce that is just delicious and balances out the other flavors. Be careful not to add too much!
- Soy Sauce: You can use gluten-free alternatives if necessary, like coconut aminos or Tamari.
- Honey: I always recommend using a local honey if you can. The flavor will be much better!
- Sweet Chili Sauce: We're enhancing a basic sweet chili sauce, so you'll want to use your favorite bottled version.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Cuts through the sweetness with a sharp tang to balance out the flavors.
- Garlic Powder: For a little bit of garlicky flavor without using fresh garlic!
Top Reviews
I just made this recipe and it turned out so good 😍 everyone loved it, I added broccoli pepper and baby corn and I loved it so much. Thank you for sharing this recipe - Isra
Fantastic dish! My son even loved it and he is a firefighter with some great culinary skills. So easy to make (which I love!) and fast (besides time to remove the vein out of the prawns). Will make again! Served with rice. Perfect Chinese food night in. - Robin
This was a fabulously easy supper dish. I prepared everything in advance and it took 5 minutes from wok to plate. Very tasty 😋 - Alexa
Loved it! Quick and easy, will definitely be making it again. I doubled the sauce ingredients even though there were only 2 of us. - Cornelia
This dish is simple and fantastic! Made it and loved it. - Fay
See them all here→ or keep scrolling to the comments section below! I appreciate all of the amazing reviews on this recipe.
How to Cook Chinese Prawns
- Pat dry thawed raw prawns onto a paper towel to remove any excess water. Place the prawns into a small bowl and sprinkle flour and ground paprika. Mix well to fully coat the prawns.
- Place a pan on medium heat and add sesame oil. When hot, add in prawns and stir fry for 30 seconds or until pink. Remove from the heat while preparing the sauce.
- How to make Sweet Chili Sauce: Mix together soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, and garlic powder. Return the pan to the heat and pour the Chinese sauce over the stir-fried prawns. Bring to a simmer, and cook for another 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped chilli and spring onions.
- Serve with rice and sprinkle over sesame seeds (optional). Enjoy!
Isabel's Top Prawn Recipes Tips
- I recommend using olive oil or canola oil if you need a substitute for the sesame oil.
- Try serving these stir fry prawns over rice, noodles, or with thin cut vegetables, like carrots and cucumbers cut julienne!
- Frozen prawns or shrimp work best. They taste just as delicious and you don’t have to peel them yourself, so you save a lot of time and hassle. It’s a win-win!
- If you like your Chinese prawns recipe extra spicy, try adding a dash of red pepper flakes.
FAQ
The difference between shrimp and prawns is very subtle when it comes to flavor. But, the physical difference between shrimp and prawns is in their size, shells, and the number of claws they have. Ultimately, they are interchangeable in recipes depending on your preference.
Most prawns are frozen at some point when you buy them at the store. I recommend using frozen prawns as they are much easier to cook, no peeling required, and the taste is just as delicious! If you’re using shrimp, I recommend the same.
Frozen prawns should not be cooked without thawing. Thawing helps prawns cook evenly, and to become soft and juicy. Let your prawns thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cooking them.
Frozen prawns will be right next to the frozen shrimp in the seafood aisle or frozen foods section of your local grocery store. You can also buy them fresh, if available; however, I recommend using frozen prawns for how easy they are to handle. If buying fresh, you will have to peel and clean the prawns.
You can use shrimp and prawns interchangeably for this simple prawn recipe and others, but Asian prawn recipes are so delicious, I guarantee you will want to give it a try with prawns first.
What to Serve with Prawns Stir Fry
Try my Easy Mongolian Beef next!
Shrimp Recipes
Prawn dishes like my Chinese prawns stir fry are so easy to prepare, and their subtle, delicate flavor means they pair well with bolder ingredients like soy sauce and garlic. I love making this dish and my family is constantly asking me to make it again!
Did you try it? Let me know in the comments below and with a rating. I would love to hear what you think of the recipe!
Chinese Prawns Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Pan
- Bowl for mixing
Ingredients
- ½ pound prawns or shrimp - we recommend buying frozen prawns or shrimp
- 1½ Tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
- ½ Tablespoon sesame oil - for frying
- 3 Tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil - for the sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- Splash rice wine vinegar
- ½ Tablespoon granulated garlic - or powdered garlic
To Serve
- Sprinkle sesame seeds
- 1 red chili pepper - finely chopped
- 3 spring onions - roughly chopped
Instructions
- Pat thawed raw prawns dry with a paper towel to remove excess water.½ pound prawns or shrimp
- Place the prawns into a small bowl. Sprinkle flour and ground paprika over the prawns, then mix to fully coat them with the flour and paprika.1½ Tablespoons flour,1 teaspoon ground paprika
- Heat a pawn on the stove over medium. Add sesame oil.½ Tablespoon sesame oil
- Once hot, add the prawns to the pan. Stir fry for 30 seconds or until just pink. Remove them from the heat.
- In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, and garlic powder until fully combined.3 Tablespoons light soy sauce,1 Tablespoon honey,1 Tablespoon sesame oil,1 Tablespoon sweet chili sauce,Splash rice wine vinegar,½ Tablespoon granulated garlic
- Return the pan to the heat. Pour the sauce over the prawns and bring it to a simmer. Once simmering, cook for another 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- When the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in chopped chili and spring onions.1 red chili pepper,3 spring onions
- Serve with rice and sprinkle sesame seeds over top (optional). Enjoy!Sprinkle sesame seeds
Notes
- Need a substitute for sesame oil? I recommend olive oil or canola oil if desired.
- We recommend serving these stir fry prawns over rice, noodles, or with thin cut vegetables, like carrots and cucumbers cut julienne!
- Frozen prawns or shrimp work best. They taste just as delicious and you don’t have to peel them yourself, so you save a lot of time and hassle. It’s a win-win!
- If you like your Chinese prawns' recipe extra spicy, try adding a dash of red pepper flakes.
Monica Talamante says
This worked exactly as written, thanks! I have never been a very good cook but this recipe made me feel like a chef!!!!
Isabel Laessig says
Monica, this is exactly the feeling I hope to evoke in everyone when they try one of my recipes. I love inspiring others and you absolutely made my day! Thanks for cooking with me! ❤️
– Isabel